Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-04-24
TnE eaEar seRrnwEsr.


tFaoFdtRAry efoWth 81 tnaeFior
secfiess RaIIreads and RaGi.
read suns-EnferestInG Lee.
Ger from 0ne whs Ne
iieyes IN PFaGFess.
Laramie CrrT. Wyoming Ter,
.pFiI, 1851.
Enron Posz-IsrEILsaEScER:
know this Il . big sahjsef--soo
large, PERHAPS, for 3 b@y-bul as / rode
miles southeast from Seattle along the
line Of read. none Of which is yet twenty
years old. and Two thirds Of which has
been built since the time that / rode
from kslton to Wallis Walla, SIX yssrs
ago, one half Of ths way In q lumber
WAGON stage, because Of rough roads,
said, This %, indeed, big country,
and e u DEVELOPING With wonderful
Fapidity." One special feataFs aston
ished me. 10 q wheat growing country
yGa will often come aofoss scattering
punches Of shining yellow grain in the
highway where . sack has sprung 9
leak, aud yoa wonder how tbs wheat
grower can stand 20 many leaks. Bot
he does. and Rtill pFospere.
All along the lines Of railway from
Portland TO Laramie, there are scat
tered piles Of freight cars, as II the rail.
way oould hardly hud room for their
rolling stock. At Pendleion. there we're
long ssitobea hlled. At lie Grnnde, q
town that has srebled tn six years, there
vas q wilderness Of cars. Al North
Powder, Baker City. and at Harrington
there seemed TO be no end 10 them. On
the Oregon Short Line this feature was
still more prominent. Side tracks put
IN on the desert, ~ IL would seem, simply
TO bold extra caFs. Al Pocatel.o /
counted over 200 freight cars, snd along
the Bear River valley there we're even
more. AZ Green river. where fifteen
Years $50 ! preached among 9 dozen
families. and huBdFed deserted adobe
huis, there vas peFfsct confusion Of
trains, aud great show of -permAnent
hooses, bnilt Of brick and stone. II re-
minded me Of the ding thai sac fifteen
/ years age Ia a Washington I'd. o.
paper on "fhe shFinkaRe Of RAILROAD
villages" which | considered Al the
time, With spirit. Discriminating tetveeH
the towns ouilt bg construction trains
which inevitably die, and the true raft
road village which never dies. Denver
was railroad village. and today claims
5000 Fe0Tle, Omaha vas a railrrad
village. aud her citizens nov ron out 10
tbe Rocky Mountains 30 90 their
heads and sleep, g. Wild the Iaud ex
citement amORR her 10000 people.
Kansas City vas a railroad village. built
Oy the railroad, and laughed 81 by the
outsiders, bat che now has I25 00e pee
gle, aud more coming.
Ut coarse. al these towns have A bot
tom below she railroad, b1i railroads. as
common carrier. aIways SEX che uata-
raj oentcrs Of business unless fer a time
thair attention is detFaeted BY land
speculation which caFss itself In due
vine. The little towns along the Union
Faoinc and y eEon Short Line are ali
groutng, even in bard times, and the
development Of the country is simply
marvellous.
came 10 tbls city In 1870. when there
vefe bnt three ranches within forty
miles. Today there are SEQ Then there
| were Just twa trains each way--0ne ex
press and 0ne freight. Today there Ar.
six TO tea. Wyamit today ships AZ
leas, balf million dollars worth OF
stock annually.
The water courses are all taken and
The grass lands ali fenced, even here al
/ ZOO feet elevation. Tie tOvn Of Lara
Eniu has doabled in sizs Ia tea We r..
fear hlesks beyond ny church, which
10 ialO was said 20 be she Ia the grave
yard stands a $4,000 public school
nease, and eight bl5 cks 10 ths south ia
she public park. Ga Ninth sxeet.
wtere tegan 20 10 ont for In
dams when ! attended my fast
funeral service Ia 1870. snd where |
asked land for Baptist eslisge Ia 1872,
stands TIE Nyomips University, built Of
native cut stone. loo feet long, three
stories hiah. OF elegant arehiteotare.
costing $4,000, The log business
houses ate giving wAy 20 snbstantial
bricks, the residences are Numerous ard
enc aud she banks are increasing Ia
nsmteI, there being noW four Of then.
The rollifg mills furnish steady work
tof so uaea, Tue soda works are q Iur
iseine, while stock nen are doing
gTandiy.
This IN a eountFy believed BY the ma.
iofitS ntteen Years ago 90 be destitute
u resources ard destined 90 die A. a
way station. TIE cFoakefs, havever.
are moying west aud not long AGO they
SAT on the seven hills OF seattle and /
talked Of high prices sud paper booms /
and visionary railroads aud lyinR real 4
estate agents.
have about concluded that il Il i'm /
possible fer Westsfn mAn 20 stretch /
he irn4h Ia regard 60 the rrsnurses Of 4
his eouatfy, th0agh be may, OF Gears. 4
terribly distust theta. Il certainly 4
seems As thoagh we could hardly 4
imagine half the truth.
ID. J. FIKReE.